Fairy Tail Garden
by CatMoonPrincess
Summary: After Makarov retires, Laxus becomes the new Master of Fairy Tail. Mirajane is there to help him cope. Who would have thought he had a fascination for flowers?
1. Fairy Tail Garden

**Author's Note: **This is the first Mirajane/Laxus (Miraxus) fanfic I've ever written. As Miraxus is one of my favourite pairings of Fairy Tail, I really don't think there are enough fanfics around, so I decided to write one, and will probably write more in the future, if all goes well. Hope you enjoy this one.

**Summary**: After Makarov retires, Laxus becomes the new Master of Fairy Tail. Mirajane is there to help him cope. Who would have thought he had a fascination for flowers?

* * *

**Fairy Tail Garden**

**Chapter 1: **

_**Fairy Tail Garden**_

* * *

_He was always a little too cautious about his self-image. I guess that part of him will never change._

* * *

Inside of Fairy Tail Garden, just behind the Fairy Tail guild, there were flowers of every kind. Roses, tulips, orchids, sunflowers, daffodils, and more, all danced and bathed in the warmth of the sun. Near a large bush of roses, were two chairs and a table decorated with a small centerpiece arranged with several assorted and colourful flowers. In addition, there was also a kettle, two tea cups, two plates, and a small platter set up with a variety of baked goods and fruit.

"Congratulations, Laxus! I think you'll make a great master." Mirajane said as she picked up two packets of sugar on the table. She smiled gently and turned around. "Two sugars or one?" she asked, staring at Laxus, who was pulling some weeds out of the rose bush.

Laxus had just come back from a very important meeting with Makarov. He had wanted to discuss with him the future of the Fairy Tail Guild and what was best for its present and future members. As it was, although he has enjoyed his time as master very much, there was a time for everything. Fairy Tail was starting to evolve and grow into a beautiful guild, one just like he had imagined; new members were sure to join and would want to learn new things. Who else but someone who was old enough and had experience, yet still young enough to reach out to its new members. As was decided, Laxus is the new Master of Fairy Tail, and as for Makarov, well, it was time to start an early vacation and let someone else pay the bills for once.

…

_Earlier, inside of the Makarov's office…_

"…_But…I don't know if I'm ready to take on that responsibility yet." Laxus scratched the back of his head. "Don't you think Guildarts would make a better-"_

"_Laxus" Makarov cut him off abruptly looking Laxus straight in the eyes. He paused for a moment before speaking again. "Laxus…if I didn't think you were cut out for the job, then I wouldn't have made such an important decision." He smiled. "You've come a long way, and I'm proud of you…besides, you have some really good people speaking in your favour. People who really care a lot about you…who don't think you're as bad of a guy as you still think you are." _

_Laxus blinked. "People…" Just what is the old geezer talking about? What good people? The only people in the guild he could think of that show any concern for him are the Raijinshuu, and he knew for sure their word alone couldn't waver the master's decision. _

"_Master, I…" Laxus began. _

"_Laxus just know you have people closer to you who care about you a lot…more than you think." Makarov said. "Now, off you go. I'll have important documents and what not to give you later on to make it official." _

_Laxus sighed. "Thanks… Master." He said, waving a hand as he left the office and headed towards the back door of the guild._

_Makarov sighed and smiled. "That boy…when will he ever learn to just let go of things once in a while and loosen up a bit?" Just be happy the way you used to be. Everything will be alright. _

_Laxus needed some fresh air. He walked along the path that led to the Fairy Tail Garden; passing by a patch of roses he thought to himself, beautiful. A simple rose. It peacefully basks in the sun's warmth, showcasing its beauty to the world, yet without a care in the world to who is watching it, it blooms on forever. _

_Laxus paused and sighed again. Could he really be getting soft? If so, why is it that he still can't forgive…no, he couldn't yet forgive himself for what he had done to the guild; the one place he could call his true home, his precious nakama, his own family. No. How could anyone forgive him? Still…love him? _

_He reached out to touch a rose, just to get a closer look, to smell it, to bask in its beauty and-_

"_Ouch!" Laxus pulled his hand away immediately and sucked at the little trickle of blood that bled down his index finger. What the hec was that?_

_Suddenly, he could hear a voice not too far off from where he was. In fact, it was right behind the rose bush. Someone was…giggling at him. _

_He looked up to see the person who was emerging from behind the bush and…._

"_Mirajane?!" Laxus eyes bulged. "What are you doing here?" He quickly took his finger out of his mouth._

"_Hi" Mirajane said as she smiled and waved at him. Laxus noticed she had some gardening gloves on, a white sun hat, and a white flower print dress, which was now smeared with a little dirt. "Isn't it obvious? Though, I could ask you the same thing…I see you're not very familiar with roses, are you?" She looked down at his finger and laughed again. _

"_Sh…shut up. What are you talking about?" Laxus said flustered as he shoved his hands in his pockets. _

"…_Beautiful" She said as she looked at the roses. _

"_Huh?" Laxus said as he watched her then followed her gaze back towards the rose bush again. "Oh.Y-yea…I hadn't noticed." He tried to act cool and nonchalant. He didn't know why, but he couldn't let his cool cover be blown in front of Mirajane, or anyone for that matter. _

"_Beautiful…yet dangerous; a flower so delicate in appearance, that to the untrained eye, may not see the thorns that lie underneath." She continued while smiling. _

_Laxus stared deeply at Mirajane for a moment, and then swallowed. "You seem to know a lot about flowers." _

"_Mmm." She turned around with a knowing expression. However, Laxus couldn't help but see the mysteriousness that lay behind both her words and her all too knowing expression. Could she only have been talking about the flowers or…maybe it's what his heart wanted him to believe. _

"_I…I didn't notice the flowers had thorns on them. I guess everything is not as it appears to be, huh." Laxus gave her a half smile. _

"_Hmm, true." Mirajane said as she bent down to get back to her weeding. "So, Laxus what are you doing out here?" _

"…_Just thinking…" Laxus looked up to the sky. He looked back at Mirajane who was struggling a bit with one of the weeds. The face she made as she tried so hard to pull it out...it was simply adorable, Laxus couldn't help but smile. "Need a little help with that?" _

…

"It's not official yet…and just one sugar please. Thanks." Laxus said, as he turned around and smiled at Mirajane. He turned back to his weeding and wiped his forehead. How he had ended up picking the weeds out of the Fairy Tail Garden, he'll never know. Then again, Mirajane sure had a way of getting people to do what she wants.

"Thanks for helping out with the garden, Laxus. I know it's probably not something you're used to…" Mirajane trailed off as she sat at the table and placed a plate in front of her.

Laxus smirked. _Oh, that's right._ "Well, you did promise to cook for me; it's kind of hard to refuse an offer like that. Who would have thought, master of Fairy Tail, pulling weeds out of a flower garden." Laxus looked down at the rose bush.

"I'm sure you'll get used to it." Mirajane beamed.

Laxus turned around and thought for a moment. "Get used to what, being master, or pulling weeds?" Laxus joked.

"Both" Mirajane replied, her facial expression unchanging.

Laxus chuckled uncomfortably. _She's joking, right? Somehow I don't think so_.

Mirajane giggled. "I'm sure you'll be a great master, Laxus. Now come, your tea is getting cold."

Laxus took his gardening gloves off, got up from the ground and headed towards the table. As he sat down in the chair opposite Mirajane, she handed him his tea.

"Thanks." He took the tea cup from her and brought it up to his mouth to sip. "Mmm, this is good." He said, and took another sip.

Suddenly, to Laxus' surprise, Mirajane started to laugh uncontrollably. Laxus spit out his tea and started to choke a little. "W-what's with you all of a sudden?" he stared bewildered at the waitress in front of him.

"Y…you have some mud smeared on your forehead." Mirajane held her stomach with tears in her eyes.

"Huh?" Laxus stared at her confused for a moment before wiping his forehead with his hand. "Really, this is what got you all worked up."

"I'm sorry…" Mirajane said, still giggling. "I shouldn't laugh, but I thought it was funny. I guess it's a sign you've worked really hard today."

"Hmph." grunted Laxus, feigning disappointment with a pout. "I don't think anyone could have worked harder."

Mirajane smiled. "Oh really? Then I guess it's good I had your help then."

Laxus blushed and glared at Mirajane, slightly agitated.

Mirajane took a strawberry off of her plate and began to eat it when she asked "So, what is your first duty as Master, Laxus?"

"Eh?" he stared at Mirajane blankly for a few seconds. "Well, I haven't really thought about it yet." Laxus looked down at his tea with a melancholy smile and then laughed to himself. "You know, it's odd…after all those years of pining after the title of master, wanting to beat my grandfather, and take control over the guild all for power…thinking I was entitled to it all….now, suddenly I find myself in a place where I feel I don't deserve it...the position I mean. Well, at least now I know I didn't want it in that way." Laxus looked up at Mirajane's concerned face for a moment. "I guess what I'm trying to say is, do you think I really deserve it?"

Mirajane stared considerably at Laxus for a moment, and then closed her eyes. "Laxus…if master thought you didn't deserve the position as Master, surely he wouldn't have made such an important decision."

Laxus' ears twitched at the familiar comment. "Y…you sound just like the old geezer." He sighed. Mirajane opened her eyes and smiled. "It's really for you to decide in your heart if you truly deserve it but, you didn't get the position because you wanted power or fame, neither because you are his grandson but…" Mirajane looked down, blushing a little. "…because you aren't the same person you were 7 years ago. "

"I…huh?" Laxus stared wide eyed at Mirajane. "Wh-what do you mean?" he said, now blushing himself.

"You've changed, Laxus, and that's all that matters, right? You did what you had to do to become a better person." She paused for a moment. "But…all of us have to change at some point, right?" Mirajane looked up and gave him a genuine smile.

Laxus blinked. "Y-yea, I guess so." He stuttered and scratched the back of his head. "I guess you of all people would understand what I'm going through, huh." Laxus said, remembering just how her past self used to be. The former Demon Mirajane, known and feared by guilds from all over for her power. Now looking at her, hair down, and her front bangs tied up into a cute little pony tail…she really had changed so much. Even her smile was-

"As long as you can forgive yourself, then you'll see other people have already forgiven you, too" Mirajane said, knocking Laxus out of his thoughts.

"…" Laxus stared at her for a moment. "Forgive myself…?"

"Mmhm" Mirajane beamed as she got up and started to pack the dishes away.

Laxus stared intently at Mirajane for a moment and said "…Have you forgiven me?"

Mirajane looked in disbelief at her comrade for a second before she replied "Of c-"

"LAXUS!" Freed yelled as he was running down the path, with tears in his eyes. "There you are, I've been looking everywhere for you!" Before Laxus could react, Freed had already jumped on him in excitement, hugging him tightly and rubbing his cheeks against his.

"Y-you're really annoying." Laxus said irritated, scowling his face.

"…It seems he's really missed you." Mirajane said, smiling genuinely at the scene.

"Ah…Mirajane, you're here too." Freed said obliviously, still holding onto Laxus.

"Sorry, were we disturbing you?" Evergreen said, as she was suddenly beside Mirajane and put a hand on her shoulder, followed by Bixlow.

"Ah…no, it's okay. We were just cleaning up and Laxus here was…" Before Mirajane could continue, she turned around and saw that Laxus had a _please don't tell them I've been pulling weeds or I'll never live it down_ kind of look. "Um…he was just trying my cooking and told me I should save some for you too. Would you like to try some?"

"Oh?" The Raijinshuu all turned to look at Laxus, who in turn, blushed.

"W-what are you all staring at?" he growled angrily.

"Ooo, Laxus did that just for me? Considerate, so very considerate." Freed exclaimed, as he rubbed his cheeks against his again. "Gah! Couldn't you get excited without doing that?"

"He did it for all of us, let's dig in." Evergreen exclaimed, already scarfing down one of the brownies that were on the platter. Freed and Bixlow followed afterwards, heading for the cupcakes.

"Seriously…" Laxus watched on at his bodyguards in exasperation and sighed, shaking his head. He then turned around to look at Mirajane, who seemed to be amused by the scene in front of her.

"Mirajane…" Laxus said as he gave a small smile, and she turned around. "Thank you…"

* * *

_End of Chapter._

_Ugh…um…yea. I've never written an FT fanfic before, so…I hope this first chapter was alright. Reviews are welcome, please! :)_


	2. Just Like A Sister

**Author's Note: **This is the first Mirajane/Laxus (Miraxus) fanfic I've ever written. As Miraxus is one of my favourite pairings of Fairy Tail, I really don't think there are enough fanfics around, so I decided to write one, and will probably write more in the future, if all goes well. Hope you enjoy this one.

**Summary**: After Makarov retires, Laxus becomes the new Master of Fairy Tail. Mirajane is there to help him cope. Who would have thought he had a fascination for flowers?

* * *

**Fairy Tail Garden**

**Chapter 2: **

_**Just Like A Sister**_

* * *

_Sometimes he feels as if the only ones to truly understand him are his "bodyguards", and then sometimes..._

* * *

Beside Magnolia Forest was a house. Not a very big one. It was small and rugged in appearance, but perfect enough for the dragon slayer that lived in it, for he called it his home.

Laxus stared at himself in the mirror and groaned, concentrating, as he struggled to fix the bow tie under his collar. He groaned again.

Today was the day Makarov would finally announce Laxus as the new master of Fairy Tail. As tradition would have it, it was customary that every time a new master was appointed, there would be an official ceremony, where the whole guild, including the current Master, would be present as the new master was made known. In addition, that new said master also had to give a speech, introducing themselves and welcoming the new members to the guild, as well as what was to be expected from the new master. It was a day that was to be celebrated, a day that was to be taken with honour, pride, happiness, and dignity, a day that Laxus was not looking forward to.

"Stupid thing…" he grunted as he untied it again and glared towards the mirror in frustration. He took another look at his outfit and sighed. "Tcch. Who said I had to dress up anyway? I'll just wear whatever I want." And he threw the bow tie back on his dresser. It's not like it'll matter anyway, he thought.

_Ding Dong. _

Just as he was taking his dress shirt off, the doorbell rang. "Mmph. Hold on, I'm coming." Laxus said as he raised the shirt completely over his head, and threw it back on the bed.

_Ding Dong._

"I said I'm coming! Who could be here at such an early hour, anyway-? Oh, it's you." Laxus looked down at the girl in front of him as she beamed up at him.

"Laxus, didn't you remember I was coming over today to walk with you to the guild?" Evergreen said as she jumped the lightning mage happily.

"…Oh yea, I guess I forgot. Sorry." Laxus said as he scratched the back of his head.

Evergreen, still flustered over her idol, looked up at Laxus and said "Hmm…is something wrong, Laxus?" with a concerned expression.

"…It's…it's nothing." Laxus said, pushing Evergreen off of him as he headed back towards his room. "You can wait for me out here. I'll be ready soon."

Evergreen blinked at Laxus in confusion as she stood silently at the door watching her friend as he walked away without another word.

"W...what's his problem today?"

ooo

"You're finally ready! It's been almost half an hour, and here I thought women took so long to get dressed. What were you doing?" Evergreen rested her hands on her hips, as she berated Laxus.

"I was finding something to wear." Laxus walked passed Evergreen towards the door, feigning his obliviousness to the situation.

Evergreen now took a chance to look carefully at the outfit Laxus was wearing. He had a tight purple shirt on that seemed to accentuate his muscles, as well as almost fitted black jeans and black dress shoes to finish it off. "I-it took you that long to find that? Jeez…sometimes I don't understand you!" Evergreen expression softened a bit. She couldn't stay mad at Laxus for long. As a matter of fact, she wasn't angry, just surprised. Sometimes he could be really sweet…though, at times annoyed her. Almost like an older-

"Are you going to come out or just stand there and ask questions all day?" Knocking her out of her thoughts, Laxus looked back at Evergreen as he was already outside the front door.

"You…let's just go!" Evergreen stormed off passed him and walked along the path as Laxus locked the door behind them.

ooo

As they walked through the forest headed for the guild, Evergreen couldn't help but get all fidgety as millions of questions popped into her head.

She looked up worriedly at Laxus again. She could see that he was deep in thought about something, but didn't know what. After several attempts of finally putting up the courage to ask him what he was thinking about, she decided she would just come out and say it.

"Laxus…" she stopped, as Laxus turned back around to look at her.

"Hmm, what is it?" Laxus stared at her with a blank expression.

"Is…something bothering you?" She looked up, dead concern written all over her face.

"I don't know what you're taking about" Laxus exclaimed as he kept waking forward again with a straight face.

"What do you mean? You've been acting strange all morning and now you're acting like nothing is wrong. Sure you can be a little distant and quiet sometimes, but not this much. So, what is wrong with you?"

Laxus stared shocked at Evergreen for a moment, and then suddenly he started to sweat profusely. Evergreen, as friendly as she may be towards him, had a cruel sense of humour sometimes. He wanted to tell Evergreen that he would be announced master today. How nervous he was about making the speech and how he didn't know how he would handle the new position, but he was afraid at how she would react…would she laugh at him, or, would she make fun of him? He didn't know, but seeing as they would find out sooner or later, he decided it wouldn't matter if he told her now.

Laxus sighed, and was about to speak up when Evergreen suddenly shrieked.

"W-wait a minute…being distant…not saying much…getting all flustered, t-that must be it! Laxus you…are you in love with me?"

"I…wait, what?!" Laxus eyes bulged out as he yelled in surprise. "Who told you that? I…"

"I'm sorry, Laxus. You're strong, kind…though you can be a little rough around the edges…you're caring and a great friend. I really admire you but I…"

"Already have Elfman ~" Evergreen shrieked again as she heard a voice whisper beside her ear.

"Bixlow! Shut it!" Evergreen exclaimed as she attacked Bixlow, who in turn just laughed and teased her.

Laxus just stared at the two of them in disbelief and sighed again. "You idiot, that's not what I was going to say." Laxus said with a serious expression.

Evergreen, shocked, stopped clawing at Bixlow for the moment to look at Laxus. "I…it's not? Oh…well then I guess I read you wrong. Sorry." Evergreen said with a straight face, not showing any sign of remorse.

"Seriously, that's all you have to say? Don't you want to know what I was going to say?!" Laxus yelled.

Evergreen smirked. "Of course not; if you really had a problem you wanted to talk to me about, you would have said something already. If it's really that deep of a wound that you can't share with anyone, not even one of your best friends, then it must be really important to you. So I'll wait, until you're ready to talk." Evergreen smiled.

Laxus stared with his mouth wide open with a loss of words. Sometimes, Evergreen could be really confusing.

Fixing his composure, Laxus rubbed his temples with his hands and sighed. "Fine, whatever…you'll find out soon enough anyway." Laxus said as he turned around, annoyed, and headed inside of the guild.

Bixlow and Evergreen just blinked at him. "That was surprisingly mature of you." Bixlow stated, as he smirked at Evergreen with his tongue out.

"Hmph, please, that was only to put his mind at ease and not bombard him with questions. If I know anything about Laxus, it's that he would never lie about his true feelings towards someone he was in love with. I know exactly what's bothering that boy." Evergreen said, smiling with a smug expression.

"What are you talking about?" Bixlow said, confused.

"It's simple, really. Can't you see? This just means…that Laxus…is in love with someone else." Evergreen smirked. "And I'm going to find out who it is." she said, rubbing her hands together with a mischievous expression.

"…you're scary." Bixlow stated, and received another punch from Evergreen.

* * *

_End of Chapter._

_Eh, I know this chapter is not as long as I expected. But promise, there'll be more Miraxus in the next chapter! ;) Maybe longer too. Kind of thought this one was funny...I'm not sure how it is in the manga [behind the scenes], but it would be kind of fun if Laxus and Evergreen were brother and sister. I read in one of the FT novels that Evergreen isn't in love with Laxus...so no need to worry about anything like that in this story. According to her, she needs someone who treats her like a fairy..yea, okay, Evergreen. ~_


	3. New Master

**Author's Note: **This is the first Mirajane/Laxus (Miraxus) fanfic I've ever written. As Miraxus is one of my favourite pairings of Fairy Tail, I really don't think there are enough fanfics around, so I decided to write one, and will probably write more in the future, if all goes well. Hope you enjoy this one.

**Su****mmary**: After Makarov retires, Laxus becomes the new Master of Fairy Tail. Mirajane is there to help him cope. Who would have thought he had a fascination for flowers?

* * *

**Fairy Tail Garden**

**Chapter 3:**

_**New Master**_

* * *

_Why did things happen this way, I wonder..._

* * *

"We just have to find out who it is that Laxus is in love with." Evergreen said as she walked towards the guild with Bixlow, an eager and enthusiastic expression on her face.

"What do you mean 'in love with'?" Freed asked as he walked towards them with a glaring expression.

"Oh, Freed, where have you been?" Evergreen asked as she turned around to meet his frightening gaze. "Uuu…what's with that reaction?"

"Come, we'll talk more about this later. Let's go inside." Bixlow pushed both Evergreen and Freed toward the entrance of the guild.

"SERIOUSLY THOUGH, WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY "IN LOVE"?" Freed bellowed.

OO

The guild was packed with many Fairy Tail mages from all over today, some of which Laxus had never seen in a long time. For example, that girl who always fidgeted and blushed every time he'd come near her, even Guildarts was here today with that big goofy grin of his as usual. _Sheesh. The Master really did go out of his way to make sure everyone would make it here today, didn't he?_ Laxus thought, as he wiped his brow and looked out into the crowd again through the curtain on the stage. Laxus was sweating bullets. As surprising at it may seem he had never spoken in front of a crowd before, or at least not to a group of more than ten people at once. This coming from the guy who boasted about taking over the guild not too many years ago; Laxus was afraid of how people would view him now.

"Seriously, why are we here again?" Cana asked while drinking a barrel of beer.

"So early in the morning too!" Lucy wailed. "Speaking of that, how are you drinking so early in the morning?" she said worriedly.

"Haha. Cana can drink at any time of the day, if she wanted too~" Levy explained.

"R...really? Lucy said shocked as she looked at Levy.

OO

On stage, suddenly, Laxus saw Mirajane walking up the stairs, and then, stood right in front of his view.

"Mirajane? What's she doing up here?" he said to himself. _Perhaps she's going to sing a welcoming song_… I _guess the old man must have told her we were going to have a new master too. Even though I told her myself, I wonder if he said anything to her too…darn that old man, he probably asked her to sing a song just to embarrass me even more-_

"Laxus?" Mirajane opened the curtain to see that Laxus had been sitting on a chair backstage with his head down.

Laxus' eyes bulged out as he looked up at Mirajane. "I…" He paused, then sighed again as he looked back down at the floor.

Mirajane looked at him with a worried expression, and then smiled. She walked towards him, put a hand on his head, and gave it a little rub.

"You'll be fine. Just do your best." She said softly. Laxus, surprised by her actions, looked up at Mirajane, seeing her smile that sweet smile she was so famous for, he looked away and blushed. _What was that? And why is she rubbing my head?_

"Did…the old man tell you about me becoming Master today?" he blurted out, still looking away from her, embarrassed.

"Mm. Probably" Mirajane smiled.

"P...probably…what's that supposed to mean?" Laxus gritted his, as he turned around glaring at her, annoyed. "Did he or did he not?"

Mirajane turned around. "You'll find out soon enough." She said as she walked through the curtain and onto the stage once more.

Laxus stared out at the curtain in defiance, and breathed out_. Jeez. I wanted to ask her what she was doing on stage then._ _Or is there something I don't know about?_

OO

Makarov walked up on stage, followed by Erza and Guildarts. To Erza and Guildarts surprise, Makarov just stood there in front of the microphone stand without another word, and looked off into the audience.

"Oh my…" Mirajane said as she half smiled at Makarov.

Bewildered at his actions, Guildarts and Erza continued to stare at him in confusion, waiting for him to make a move…some move…any kind of move-

"Are you guys just going to stand there looking dumbfounded or are you going to help me reach the microphone." He muttered.

Erza gawked. "So…sorry Master" she exclaimed as she pushed the stand down for him to reach. _He...he could have just used his magic to make himself taller…but wait, what am I saying? That would be insulting. I can't go against the Master's orders. _

"What are you doing?" Guildarts asked her as he watched Erza have an inner battle with herself.

"Er…nothing. Let's continue." Erza gave him a small smile, and turned back towards the audience, leaving Guildarts with a perplexed expression on his face.

Makarov tapped the microphone with his finger, cleared his throat and then said "Excuse me. We are now going to be staring the ceremony. If you would all please turn your attention this way, that would be much appreciated." He finished.

However, the guild remained noisy and rowdy as no one was paying attention to the current master's orders. Makarov's eye twitched and soon a cloud of smoke was seen around him as his body got bigger and bigger.

"Listen up, you fools!" He bellowed as he glared annoyed down at them.

Erza and Guildarts just looked at him. _He could have just done that in the first place…_they thought.

Natsu and Gray who had been having a '_who could stand on their head the longest'_ contest had suddenly fallen over, knocking beer all over Lucy's clothing. "Natsuuuuu!~ Graaaaaay!~" she quaked.

Makarov rubbed his head. "Everyone just sit down. We are now going to be beginning the ceremony. As most of you should know, for guilds all over the country, it is a custom that a new master is chosen when the current master has either retired, or, has passed away and can or refuses to no longer be in authority over the position." He paused.

"What…does that mean you're going to be retiring, Master?" Macao asked.

"I was wondering why so many people were called here today…" said Wakaba.

"…Yes. As it seems, I will be announcing a new master today and stepping down from my position. I apologize for not telling you earlier…however, I wanted to keep it confidential until the time came, as not to spread any word and cause any discomfort towards the candidate." Makarov explained.

"I see…I wonder who it may be then." said Wakaba.

Isn't it obvious? It's Laxus." Alzack stated.

"No, it must be Erza. She's cool, strong, and responsible" said Visca.

As chatter spread out throughout the room about which the possible candidate might be Makarov cleared his throat again. "This is exactly what I was trying to avoid."

Everyone turned silent. "I assure you, that the one I have chosen will be much suited for the job, and you won't be disappointed. That being said…my time as master has ended. It was my greatest pleasure to watch over you all…the fun times, the laughter, the happy times, the sad times…the bills, the destruction of buildings and neighbourhoods, the bills…in fact, why did I become Master again?" Makarov asked.

"Um…Master?" Erza stuttered.

Makarov looked up at her and his expression suddenly changed. "Oh right…ahem, as I was saying, I enjoyed every one of those moments with you, I'll never forget them, and I'll cherish them in my heart forever." He beamed.

"Now! It is time and my upmost pleasure to now introduce you…to the new Master of Fairy Tail!" he said, as he turned his head towards the curtain.

Mirajane, Erza, and Guildarts also turned their heads towards the curtain, awaiting the arrival of their new Master. Everyone remained silent in anticipation.

Laxus stepped out a little shakily as he lifted him head to stare out at the audience in front of him.

Everyone just stared quietly at him, making Laxus feel very uncomfortable.

"Um…I…" He stuttered. As he was about to start sweating nervously again, he swallowed, turned around and looked down at Makarov, who in turn nodded his head and said "It's okay."

"It's Laxus?!" Natsu shouted with his mouth wide open in surprise.

Wah!~ It's Laxus!" Lucy beamed as she clasped her hands together.

Just then, everyone started howling and cheering in excitement.

"Congratulations, Laxus!~" Cana shouted.

"Aye!" Happy said in delight.

"Wow, I can't believe he really did it! That's amazing!" Juvia exclaimed happily.

"Please, I knew it would happen eventually" Gray muttered, with his chin resting in his hand, and a big smile on his face.

"Gray-sama….Juvia thought so too." She said as she grabbed onto his arm happily, blushing excitedly.

"No you didn't!" he yelled.

"Good job, boy." Macao said softly and smiled as tears streamed down his face. He gave Laxus a thumbs up.

"Yea…" Wakaba agreed and smiled, teary eyed.

Laxus stared in awe and disbelief at the reactions in front of him. He couldn't believe it…were all of them cheering…for him? Why?

"Go on, now. Let's hear that speech." Makarov said staring towards the audience, however, with a happy grin on his face and eyes filled with tears as well.

Laxus stared down at Makarov for only a few seconds, and then smiled. A smile so rare, so gentle, and so sincere, no one had ever seen Laxus smile this way before. Mirajane looked at him in surprise, caught off guard by his actions, but then smiled gently as well.

Laxus looked back at the audience and cleared his throat.

"Um…I'd like to say something... if you'd all like to listen, that would be great. If not, whatever." He scratched the back of his head, and looked on with a serious expression.

Makarov sighed. _Guess he still has a lot of learning to do on what it means to take authority_. He thought, but smiled up at Laxus anyway.

"…Just so you guys know…even though what I may have seemed like in the past…I-I didn't ask for this position as new Master. I didn't think I deserved it, in fact, I still don't think I do…' Laxus paused for a moment, looking down at the floor sadly, and then turned around to look at Makarov. "…but, somehow, Master gave me the position anyway, no matter how much I persisted. So, I guess…" Laxus hesitated. "I have no choice but to be your new Master." He gave a small smile to the audience. "Thank you."

He was just about to leave the stage when suddenly the whole crowd was cheering for him again, and he felt, for a moment, a warm feeling touch his heart, and began to cry. "Thank you…" he said as he wiped his tears away. Laxus didn't understand what this feeling was…he didn't even understand why everyone seemed to be supporting him but…for now, it was okay.

Makarov gave his grandson a pat on the back "I'm proud of you, son" and smiled up at him. Laxus just smiled back, unconfidently.

"Alright! You little brats can go home now and rest up, since it's still so early in the morning! Tonight will be the celebratory party for Laxus becoming the new Master, so anyone who wants to join in can come and you can give your respects to Laxus then." Makarov stated as he looked at the audience.

Just then, Mirajane had come beside Laxus and smiled at him "Congratulations...Master." she winked. "I knew you could do it"

Laxus blushed, a little taken back. "What are you….?" But Mirajane was already walking off stage to get back to her waitressing as the guild became rowdy again.

"She's really something, huh?" a voice came from beside Laxus and he turned around to see it was Erza.

"Huh? I don't know what you're talking about." He turned his head away and looked at Mirajane again, wondering.

"Regardless…" Erza looked at Mirajane with a smile, "…she was the one that recommended you, you know" she said as she looked at Laxus out of the corner if her eye.

Laxus turned around and looked at Erza with a look if disbelief. "What?! Why would she…?"

Erza smiled "You should go thank her. Although I was hesitant at first, it was Mirajane's persistence that won out in the end." Erza said as she looked down, and bowed awkwardly in front of Laxus.

"Congratulations, new Master." She said with a smile. "I look forward to working with you." And she stretched out her hand to shake his.

Laxus blinked at her for a moment, but then smiled awkwardly, as he shook her hand. "Th…thanks."

"Congratulations, Laxus!" He heard a voice from behind him and turned around. It was Lucy and she seemed really happy.

"Er…thanks." Laxus said as he gave a half smile. He still didn't believe anyone would be genuinely happy for him and was still a little flustered about the whole situation. What were people going to think of him now?

"Aye!" Happy said, as he flew from behind Lucy. "Who would have thought Laxus would become Master of all people." And that was the stinger. "Why you little…" Laxus cringed a bit as he glared at Happy.

"Happy!" Lucy exclaimed.

"LAXUS!" Natsu shouted as he ran towards the scene, almost knocking over Laxus, but instead landing on top of Lucy. He suddenly pointed a finger a Laxus with a serious expression. "Now that you're master of the guild, be prepared to fight me!"

"W…what?" Laxus stared at Natsu. "I'm not fighting you Natsu." He said calmly. "Besides...with my new position as Master, I probably won't have time for petty fights anymore."

"Why you!" Natsu yelled, still on top of Lucy.

"Natsu! Get off!" Lucy exclaimed as she blushed furiously.

"What? Oh, what are you doing under me Lucy." He asked, being annoying oblivious to the situation to the situation at hand.

Laxus just stared at them in disbelief as Lucy tried to push Natsu off, while Natsu tried to stop her by grabbing her hands, both clearly annoyed at each other.

_Why don't those two just go out already_? Laxus thought, as he smiled genuinely at the two and started to walk away.

OO

"Laxuuuuuus!~" Freed wailed as he ran towards the dragon slayer at full speed, hugging him, and almost toppling him over.

"Ugh." Laxus grunted in response.

"You didn't tell us you were going to become Master, Laxus." Evergreen pouted walking towards them.

"Yea, why? Don't you trust us?!" Bixlow asked just right behind her.

"I…didn't know how you'd react." He said, looking to the side. Then he looked back up and said "You don't think it's weird?"

Why would we think it's weird? You know we'd support you in anything you do!" Evergreen scolded him, pointing a finger in his face.

Laxus pushed her finger away softly and smiled. "I guess I should have known. Maybe it isn't you I was worried about. I guess I just didn't want to talk about it." He said, and they all looked at him in silence.

"If you think that this means we won't get to hang out anymore, you know you can always count on our help…with the guild, paperwork or anything…" Freed said softly.

"….That's not what I was worried about…" Laxus said. Freed looked at him, disappointed.

"Okay, okay…it wasn't the only thing I was worried about." Laxus said to console him.

"I was just afraid people wouldn't accept me…but now…" Laxus looked down. "I guess I was wrong…"

"You know, sometimes you need to forgive yourself, Laxus." Evergreen looked down pitifully at him. "We already have. Forgiven ourselves, I mean. If we had a choice to return to who we were before and be who we are now...I'd say we wouldn't ever want to go back there again. We wanted to be better people…so we could protect the ones we love. And that's what we did…that's what you did. So why can't you forgive yourself?"

Laxus, stunned, looked up at her and suddenly remembered Mirajane saying similar words.

"…All of you guys are the same." He smiled. "Thanks Evergreen, I'll remember that." He said as he walked passed them towards the exit.

"Laxus" someone said, and he stopped in his tracks.

Hmm?" he turned around to see Makarov standing there with a big grin on his face,

"Come. We still have some final documents to get through…and something important to discuss. Let's…head into my office."

Laxus stared at Makarov with a concerned expression, but followed him anyway. _Sigh. This is going to be an interesting day._ He thought.

* * *

_End of Chapter._

_Phew. Well, that took a while. I really need to recollect my thoughts together so I can work on writing better chapters, but I'm happy with the way this one turned out, I guess. So, Laxus finally becomes master, what problems could possibly be awaiting him? I wonder. _


	4. Look Passed Those Thorns

**Author's Note: **This is the first Mirajane/Laxus (Miraxus) fanfic I've ever written. As Miraxus is one of my favourite pairings of Fairy Tail, I really don't think there are enough fanfics around, so I decided to write one, and will probably write more in the future, if all goes well. Hope you enjoy this one.

**Summary**: After Makarov retires, Laxus becomes the new Master of Fairy Tail. Mirajane is there to help him cope. Who would have thought he had a fascination for flowers?

* * *

**Fairy Tail Garden**

**Chapter 4:**

_**Look Passed Those Thorns**_

* * *

_I'm not very good just yet, but…I'll try my best…_

* * *

It was now 8:00 am in the morning. Laxus pulled out the big red chair in front of the desk in front of him and sat down, waiting for Makarov to finish taking out some files he had stored inside his desk drawer. He yawned.

"Hmm… here it is. Just what I was looking for" Makarov said finally, pulling a folder out of the desk and handing it to Laxus.

"What's this?" asked Laxus, as he flipped through the pages. "It's a couple of documents I need you to sign." Makarov stated. "I've already signed it myself…basically it's a file that once signed, by you and me, confirms that you have become the new guild master. I won't get into the petty details; you can read up on it yourself later."

"Oh…I see." Laxus looked disappointingly at the files in front of him. He then took the stamp that lay on the right side of the desk and stamped each place that needed to be signed. He wasn't the least bit in the mood, but Laxus couldn't help but admire it. The stamp was a rare magical item in Magnolia. Depending on who is in direct contact with the stamp at any given moment, the name on the stamp would change instantly to the user's name. So, in other words, right now, the stamp had said _"Laxus Dreyar"_. He put the stamp back on the desk.

"Are you still not happy with the way things turned out?" Makarov stared intently at Laxus, rubbing his chin.

"It…it's not really that. I just don't know if I'm ready to face everyone." He looked away with a regretful expression.

Makarov chuckled, and Laxus looked up at him. "You were always one who was easily misunderstood…and in return, misunderstand others."

Laxus looked on in silence. "Soon, you'll come to terms with your own feelings and realize that if you want people to reach out to you, you'll have to reach out to others too." Makarov smiled. "Open your eyes, Laxus…don't let other people's mistakes and words hold you back from getting what you really want."

Laxus opened his mouth about to say something, and then closed it again, looking back down at the desk.

"…Speaking of that…he's here, you know." Makarov said with his eyes closed.

"…What?" Laxus looked up at Makarov, shocked.

"He's…your father...is back in Magnolia" Makarov opened his eyes and started at Laxus with a serious, yet concerned expression.

"What?" Laxus said angrily as he jolted out of his chair. "Why...why would that man be back here of all places…" Laxus gritted his teeth.

"…I heard news from the magic council that he was let out of jail…two days ago…also, it seems Gajeel saw him only yesterday roaming around the streets. What he was doing though, he had no clue." Makarov rubbed his chin again, as he thinking deeply about something.

He looked at Laxus with a serious expression again. "You should be very careful…just in case. I don't know what that man has up his sleeve, but knowing him, he can't be trusted."

Laxus clenched his fist before punching down at the desk, knocking over some papers that were taken out of the file, and Makarov looked on in surprise.

"You…you know how much I can't stand him…after…after what he did. He should have on right to show his face in public again." He said, and Makarov just stared at him calmly.

"I assure you…I still have yet to figure out why the magic council would let him out after the type of crimes he's committed. It makes me more than angry, Laxus…I'm furious." Makarov furrowed his brows deeply and his eyes darkened, almost clenching his fists as well.

" But now…" he walked around the desk to rest his hand against Laxus' fist. "…is not the time to lose your cool. You are now that new master of Fairy Tail…one who can't afford to stain his reputation. You must remain calm in this type of situation Laxus…" He paused. "For…you are not only fighting for yourself anymore, but for the guild…your family and friends as well."

Laxus shivered violently for a moment, and then, finally let his body relax. "I…I know." He said. "I'm sorry."

Xoxoxo

_Sigh_. Lucy sat at the bar with her chin resting on the counter top, as her arms dangled on either side of her body, with a look of depression. She sighed again.

"…Is something the matter?" Mirajane turned around with a spatula in hand, and stared at Lucy in pity.

"It's Natsu." Lucy muttered.

"Oh, again? You two seem to be getting along fine." She said as she smiled and turned back to the frying pan in front of her. She had woken up pretty early to get things ready for the ceremony of Laxus becoming Master, and had not had time to cook anything yet for herself. So, she decided, while the guild was still a bit empty, to help herself to some well-deserved breakfast.

"We do! We do but…sometimes…today, after the ceremony ended, I went home to have a relaxing shower and head back to bed, since after waking up so early, I still felt a bit sleepy…" Lucy explained.

"Mhmm" Mirajane nodded her head, listening calmly, as she spoke.

"Well…I got out of the shower and finished changing my clothes. As I was about to lie down in bed, I noticed Natsu had already been in there sleeping like it was his own bed!' Lucy exclaimed.

"Oh my…" Mirajane said, as she smiled at Lucy comfortingly.

"It was so embarrassing, and it's not as if it's the first time it's happened too! Mira-san, do you think he does this on purpose just to annoy me?" Lucy pouted; chin still resting on the countertop.

"Well, if it happens often…maybe he feels as if he's already so comfortable around you, he can do things like sleep in your bed. You guys are really close friends, right?"

"Don't say it like that as if it's normal!" Lucy fumed, as she lifted her chin off the table.

"Are you saying if you had a close friend like that – who is also still a boy – sleep in the same bed as you?" Lucy asked.

"Of course" Mirajane smiled softly as she set a plate of scrambled eggs and toast on a plate in front of Lucy.

"Yea right~" Lucy pouted, but took the plate of eggs and toast gratefully. "Wow, thanks Mira-san." She smiled up happily at the barmaid.

"No problem" she replied as she set a plate for herself, as well as brought two mugs of hot cocoa and set them down on the counter before she sat down. "Though, maybe Natsu really likes you?"

"Huh?" Lucy said as she bit into a piece of toast. "I doubt it. Why do you always say that?" Lucy blushed fervently and looked away. Mirajane just smiled.

"You know…speaking of that, Mira-san. You always come up with the craziest assumptions about our love lives, but I never seem to hear about yours." Lucy smirked. "Why are you keeping it a secret?

"Hmm? I have no idea what you're talking about." Mirajane said as she drank some of her hot cocoa.

"Really? Don't you have a boyfriend? Or at least someone you really like?" Lucy probed.

"I won't deny or confirm that." Mirajane stated simply eating her eggs.

"What?" Lucy said with her mouth agape. "If you don't, just say it. But then why do you always bother us about it?"

"Hmm…because I think it's sweet." Mirajane smiled.

"What? I'm confused." Lucy gave up and continued eating her toast.

Mirajane just smiled back at Lucy happily, and then closed her eyes. "I think the thought of falling in love is really sweet. Every girl wants to experience that fairy tale type of love feeling, you know? I'd like to know how it is to experience that type of feeling forever…" she paused and looked down. _But for someone like me_, she thought. "Well…" she looked back up at Lucy and smiled again.

"Mira-san…" Lucy said softly, and couldn't help but blush. "I think that's beautiful." She smiled.

Mirajane smiled back. "Mm. That's why I always pester you about Natsu."

"Eh? But last time you said that Gray has a secret crush on Cana, even though he didn't…" Lucy pouted. "You also said they'd make a great pair…though, Juvia wasn't too happy about that." Lucy chuckled as she remembered the incident.

"Ah" Mirajane replied. "Maybe you can ask Natsu to the party then."

Lucy blushed fervently once more. "Again with the Natsu thing. I…I guess I still don't know who I'm going to the party with. Maybe…" she breathed out. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to try." Lucy said nervously.

"Good." Mirajane smiled, and then turned to see that people were starting to come into the guild. "Ah, looks like I'll have to get back to work soon…"

"Oh?" Lucy turned around too, and as soon as she saw Natsu come into view, her face got heated again.

"Oh...Mira-san…I have to go! Thank you so much for the breakfast." She pushed back her stool, turned around to smile and waved awkwardly back at Mirajane before she headed straight for the guild entrance, until Natsu stood in front of her.

"Hey Luce! Where are you off too? Let's go on a mission together!" he beamed.

"Aye!" Happy agreed as he flew around them.

"Wha…" Lucy looked up at him for a moment before looking back down and blushing madly again. "Y…you idiot! Who has time to go on a mission when you know there's going to be a party tonight?"

Natsu looked down questioningly at the girl in front of him. "Oh, I know that. What's wrong? We could always come back in time for it." Natsu smiled.

"Well, unlike you, a girl takes time to prepare for these things…" she fidgeted uncomfortably under his gaze. "I…I'm going home to get some rest." She said softly as she walked passed Natsu to go towards the entrance again. Though, before she reached outside the door, she stopped, and turned around. "And don't even think about following me this time!" she yelled and then ran off.

"What's with her?" Natsu blinked, oblivious to the situation at hand.

"If only you know…" Mirajane said out of the blue.

"Isn't it obvious? She liiiiikes you~" Happy smirked and giggled behind his tiny paws.

Xoxoxo

_Sigh. I'm so tired_, she thought as she walked through Fairy Tail Garden once more. It was now 5:00 pm, and Mirajane had just finished an early shift at work after taking care of most of the orders. She was on her way home, but decided to take the path through the garden as it was a much faster path to her house.

She sighed again as her heavily lidded eyes fluttered open and shut and open again as she tried to stay awake. She didn't want to end up fainting from exhaustion just as she was about to get home.

She continued to walk lazily towards the back gate until she heard a low voice behind her say "Going home already?"

Mirajane shrieked, being taken out of her sleepy state, but turned around to see it was only Laxus standing behind her, with a small smile on his face.

"Oh, Laxus…it's only you." She said groggily as she yawned. "You scared me."

"Wow, sorry. Didn't know you were expecting a parade" He said jokingly, but noticed how teary her eyes were. "You okay?"

"Huh? Oh yea, sorry, just a bit tired." She looked at him and smiled. "I had a short shift today because I had to wake up early to prepare for the ceremony, but still…" she rubbed her teary eyes a little.

"Ah, I see. Yea, I guess the ceremony got everyone really worked up, didn't it?" He said, staring at her intently.

"Yea…" she replied softly.

"Mirajane…" Laxus started, but was interrupted when she said "Mind if we sit for a bit?" she stared sleepily at the bench in front of the rose bush.

"Oh…sure" was all Laxus could reply, and sat down on the bench beside her, awkwardly with his arms crossed.

She yawned again, but stared happily at the view in front of them. "You know…I never get tired of seeing them. For some reason, I find myself drawn to them….such a beautiful flower." She smiled gently.

Laxus looked down at Mirajane and then looked back at the rose bush again. "Yea…." He replied.

Trying to recollect his thoughts again, Laxus didn't understand a lot of things. He didn't understand why his guild mates had cheered him on after he became master, despite what he did to them. He didn't understand why Makarov had put such a heavy responsibility in his hands, despite making him and the guild suffer, but most importantly…

"I don't understand…why did you recommend me to become Master?" He blurted out suddenly.

"Huh?" Mirajane looked up at him surprised. "Oh, that." She looked back at the rose bush and smiled gently again. 'Because I believe in you, Laxus"

"Huh? What does that mean?" Laxus looked down at her confused, blushing a little.

She just smiled again, before getting up and picking a rose from the bush. Laxus just blinked at her as he watched her sit back down again with the rose in her hand.

She brought the rose up to her nose and inhaled, taking in the scent of the flower. Laxus just looked at her speechless, wondering if she was going to answer the question or not.

"Just take a look at this rose, for example." She said, looking at it tenderly. "Its thorns can mean anything." She gently touched the thorns on the stem of the flower with her hand. "For example…a person can be just like this flower; beautiful, but someone who hasn't forgiven themself, someone with past mistakes." She closed her eyes and said softly. "But…just reach out, touch them carefully, look passed those thorns, and you can enjoy the wonders of that beauty too." She looked up at him and smiled. "I did it, and so can you." She handed him the flower and Laxus blushed furiously.

"Uh…mm" He stuttered, for that was all he could muster after he took the flower out of her hand, and turned his head, away from her gaze. _Just what was that_, he thought. _And what does that have to do with me becoming Master? _Am I the rose? _Does she believe that I'm beautiful? Is that why I should-_

"Laxus…?" Mirajane asked, knocking said person out of his thoughts.

"Oh…yea, sorry" He said softly, without looking at her.

"I just wanted to know who you were going to the party with…"

Just as Laxus was about to find the courage to turn around and look at her, he felt something soft against his arm. It was Mirajane, with her head resting against his shoulder, fast asleep.

Laxus just blushed more in embarrassment, as he looked down at the girl beside him, afraid to make any more sudden movement.

"What are you doing, Laxus?" he heard a voice say.

Laxus tensed up even more as a cold shiver went down his body. He turned around to see that it was Evergreen walking down the path through the garden, staring at the two with her mouth agape.

"It's…it's not what it looks like!" Laxus exclaimed as he looked back at Mirajane to Evergreen again.

"Really? Then what exactly is it then?" Evergreen smirked as she blushed. "…Because it looks like you two are pretty darn close there" she looked at the sleeping Mirajane and smiled mischievously.

Laxus just looked down at the sleeping beauty, and sighed, not knowing what to do. "She…she just fell asleep." He frowned. "We were talking…and she just fell asleep…" He slowly smiled now, gently, and contently looking at her peacefully sleeping face.

Not going unnoticed by the self-proclaimed queen of fairies, Evergreen watched Laxus intently and she wondered if she had finally found out the answer to her previous question; just who is Laxus Dreyar in love with? And she wondered if it were indeed, with Mirajane.

* * *

_There's beauty in everyone._

* * *

_End of Chapter. _

_Hmm, lots of Miraxus stuff happening here ;) Even I'm excited for the next chapter. :3 Those oblivious cuties...tell me what you think!_


	5. Dance With Me

**Author's Note: **This is the first Mirajane/Laxus (Miraxus) fanfic I've ever written. As Miraxus is one of my favourite pairings of Fairy Tail, I really don't think there are enough fanfics around, so I decided to write one, and will probably write more in the future, if all goes well. Hope you enjoy this one.

**Summary**: After Makarov retires, Laxus becomes the new Master of Fairy Tail. Mirajane is there to help him cope. Who would have thought he had a fascination for flowers?

* * *

**Fairy Tail Garden**

**Chapter 5:**

_**Dance With Me**_

* * *

_Why was this girl always there when he needed it most?_

* * *

"So…what should I do?" Laxus asked staring at Evergreen anxiously, as Mirajane still lied against his arm. He muscles were stiffened up so much he thought he was going to explode.

Evergreen smirked at Laxus with her hands on her hips. "Isn't it obvious? You'll just have to wake her up, of course." Her grin widened as she, if even possible, smiled more mischievously.

"What? That's…too embarrassing…" Laxus said as he gritted his teeth and blushed again.

"What? Is the great Laxus suddenly so shy? Fine. Then I'll wake her up." Evergreen walked forward slightly, but Laxus stopped her. "Wait! N…no I'll wake her up." Laxus looked back down at Mirajane and then breathed out slightly before he nudged her a little which, to his dismay, made little to no progress at all.

"Pfffftt. Too funny!" Evergreen squeaked as she put her hands on her mouth to try and control her laughter.

"Sh…shut up!" Laxus yelled out at Evergreen accidentally in annoyance and embarrassment, forgetting that the maiden was sleeping soundly beside him. He froze for a moment when he felt her head move off of his shoulder.

Mirajane blinked twice as she noticed Evergreen standing in front of her. "Evergreen…what are you doing here? More importantly, what am I doing here…did I doze off…?" said Mirajane sleepily.

Laxus just blushed and turned his gaze away from her again when she looked up at him.

"You…you fell asleep. We didn't want to wake you up, so…" he murmured.

Evergreen smirked. "Tcch. More like you fell asleep on-"

"Ah!" Mirajane shouted as she looked at her watch. It was now 6 o'clock pm and the party started at 7.

"I didn't realize it was already this late! I'd better head on home now if I want to make it in time." She got up from the bench, and then turned around to look at Laxus. "Oh, sorry for causing you so much trouble. I hadn't realised I had fallen asleep on you…" Mirajane just smiled brightly, not seeming to realize or comprehend the embarrassing situation.

Laxus just looked at her flabbergasted.

"Well…I guess I'll see you two later at the party…" she said as she waved goodbye and headed towards the back gate.

Evergreen stared as Mirajane had gone out of the gate. "Wow…" said Evergreen.

Laxus sighed and then got up from the bench, glaring at Evergreen, a bit irritated. "She said she had been a bit tired…I'm heading home."

"Wait a minute, you still didn't tell me what happened with you two. Why was Mirajane sleeping on your shoulder?" Evergreen teased, however truly curious. "What were you guys talking about?" she ran up to catch up to him as he walked through the gate.

"…Nothing much. Just wanted to know why she recommended me for Master." Laxus said simply.

"Oh, so she did that, eh?" Evergreen looked up thoughtfully for a moment. _I wonder why_, she thought. Evergreen turned around to look at Laxus again. He had a serious expression on his face, but she couldn't get over how flustered he was over Mirajane only minutes ago_. Just what did happen between those two? I've never seen Laxus so flustered, even in that type of situation. Though, for it to even get that far in the first place…I've got to tell Freed and Bixlow. _She smiled up at Laxus, and he looked down just in time to catch a glimpse.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Oh, nothing…" Evergreen smirked once again.

xoxo

"Hmm, I wonder if this looks good enough…" Lucy looked at herself in the mirror again. She was wearing tight fitting black, knee length, dress. Thanks to the help of Cancer, her hair was combed up the ends teased out just a bit and kept in place by a small silver butterfly clip, which seemed to also match her silver butterfly necklace that Cana had given for her birthday last year.

Sitting on the bed, Levy responded. "It look just fine, Lucy." She looked up from her book to now look up at the girl in front of her mirror. "We're going to miss the whole party at this point if that's all you're worried about." Levy laughed.

"Okay, I'm just about ready." Lucy slip on her high heels, and turned around to look at Levy. "You're the one who's reading a book even though we have to go soon." Lucy teased.

"That's only because you were taking so long…" Levy closed her book and put it back on the shelf.

Lucy shook her head and smiled. There really wasn't a time where it seemed that her best friend didn't have her nose stuck in a favourite book. Though, I guess she couldn't really blame her, since she loved to read too. But right now, she had more important things to worry about.

"So…ready to go, milady?" Levy joked as she took her friends arm in hers and headed downstairs towards the front door. Lucy just laughed and said "All set."

xoxo

It was now 7:30 pm, and the party for the celebration of Laxus becoming the new guild master had already started. Coloured lights were hung up all along the ceilings and railings, while the waitresses were preparing food in the kitchen. The stage was specifically set up with a chair, a microphone, and white and red lights in the shape of hearts and stars surrounding it. Most importantly, however, was the banner that was placed on the wall right above the stage that read: _Congratulations, Laxus._ _Or should we say Master_.

"Oi! Natsu, where's Lucy? I thought she was coming to the party with you." Gray said as he walked towards a table Natsu was sitting at in the guild.

"Hmph" Natsu pouted at Gray and then looked away sighing.

"What's wrong with you?" Gray said irritated. "I just asked you a simple question.

Natsu grumbled. "She said she wanted to come on her own…."

"Oh?" Gray looked back surprised. "That's too bad, but I guess it makes sense."

Natsu finally looked up at Gray again, curious. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well…she probably didn't want to make it look as if you guys came as a couple…" Gray answered.

Natsu just stared at him for a moment before busting out in a fit of laughter. "Why would Lucy be worried about that?"

"…You really are an idiot…" Gray said, staring at the pink haired boy in pity.

"What? You wanna try saying that again, pervert!" Natsu balled his fists in fire and was just about to get out of his seat when Erza came and said "Now, we're not fighting are we?" she said simply, yet the two boys knew the menacing meaning behind those very words and calmed down almost instantly.

"No ma'am." They said as they linked their arms around each other.

"Good." She turned around. "…because if I do hear of any ruckus going on during Master's special day, you'll have to deal with me later." She turned her head towards the boys and smiled, then walked away.

"S…scary…" Natsu said.

"Y…yea…" Gray agreed. "Wait, did she just call Laxus Master?"

"I'll never get used to that." Natsu groaned, but then realized he was still linked onto Gray. "You…why are you holding onto me?"

"What? Why are YOU holding onto me?" Gray retorted back.

"How about you both just let go of each other." said Gajeel, as he came through the guild.

"Gray-sama…your clothes" Juvia blushed, as she followed Gajeel into the guild, and covered her eyes.

"Gah" Gray let go of Natsu immediately as he realized the situation.

"Pervert" Natsu said.

"How does he even manage that…?" Gajeel trailed off as he remembered the question that he wanted to ask. "Oh yea, have any of you seen Levy?"

Just then, Levy and Lucy walked through the guild. It felt as time had stopped, as Gajeel looked on in awestruck at Levy.

Levy was wearing a light blue, V-neck, strapless dress that came down in ruffles at the bottom and was just about knee length. She had the same hairstyle she always does; however, Gajeel couldn't help but think that no matter what she wore, she was always the most beautiful girl in the room to him. The dress really highlighted her beauty though, as it complemented her pale skin, and dark blue hair. She seemed to sparkle under the colourful beads of light that lit up the guild.

"Levy…" he murmured, and looked up at him in his direction. She smiled brightly and waved back as she walked towards him.

Gajeel gulped as she approached him. "You…you look good." Gajeel mumbled as he fidgeted with his bow tie.

"Huh?" Levy looked up and blushed at the Dragon Slayer. She stuttered "Oh...you…you look good too." She looked down at the ground and Gajeel could swear he could hear his heart beating out of his chest.

"Natsu..." Lucy said as she blushed and looked away from him.

"What's wrong with you?" Natsu asked, with a worried expression.

"N-nothing." She said, shaking her head. "It's nothing" she faked a smile.

"Lucy…" Natsu started.

"I think Lucy has something she wants to say to you…" Levy stated.

"Levy!" Lucy shouted in embarrassment.

xoxo

"I guess I can see why Laxus would fall in love with her…if it were anyone else though…" Freed frowned.

"Is that what he said?" Bixlow asked.

"Well, I think it's pretty safe to say…though, we should probably figure out some more facts before we make any more conclusions."

Evergreen, Freed, and Bixlow sat at a table in the corner at the back of the guild near the bar. After the events Evergreen saw earlier today, she had finally told Freed and Bixlow what had happened.

"Speaking of the devil…" Bixlow said as he saw Mirajane, Elfman, and Lisanna walk in through the entrance.

They went over to greet the others, and when they were done, not before Mirajane gave a little wink and a nudge towards Lucy, they went over to greet the Raijinshuu.

"Hi guys!" Lisanna said as she ran towards them. "Hey, Lisanna" said Freed. "What's up?" Bixlow said as Lisanna and Mirajane took a seat beside them, while Elfman decided to stand beside his two sisters.

"Aren't you going to sit down, Elfman?" Mirajane asked her little brother. He stiffened up behind her. He looked towards the table and had realized that the only seat left was beside Evergreen. "Um…n-no, I'm fine, thank you." He stuttered, blushing a little as he turned away.

"Sit." Mirajane just smiled. "Okay." Elfman couldn't help but obey his sister's orders, as he knew what she could be like when she was angry. He took a seat beside Evergreen, and crossed his arms.

Evergreen blushed and looked like she was about to say something to Elfman, but remembered she had a more important subject to worry about right now. "Mirajane, you had an early shift today, right?" Evergreen asked.

"Oh yeah…since I had to wake up early to help prepare for the ceremony for Laxus…" Mirajane said.

"I see." Evergreen said. She leaned forward with her chin in her right hand and smirked at Mira.

"What's the matter?" Mirajane asked.

"Okay, Mirajane…I'm just going to come out and say it. Do you have a thing for Laxus?" Evergreen blurted out.

Lisanna spit out her juice so hard it splattered all over Freed's face and just stared at her older sister, while Elfman was so shocked it looked like his mouth would actually hit the table. Mirajane was taken back. "What? What would make you say that?" she questioned, shocked at the girl's outburst.

"Well…you two always seem to be together a lot lately….and you did fall asleep on him, so…" Evergreen explained. "Wait a minute, you what?" Lisanna's cheeks turned bright red as she covered her mouth with her hands.

"Plus, you recommended him for Master…" Freed said as he wiped his face with a towel, glaring at Lisanna. "Well…that's because I like Laxus..." Mirajane stated. Everyone just looked on in silence, shocked. "…I think he's a good person..." Mirajane said thoughtfully, as she looked up with a finger to her mouth. "Isn't that okay?" she asked, turning her eyes back down to look at the one questioning her.

Evergreen just blinked at her "Ah…yea, sure…" she said. "…why, did something happen?" Mirajane asked, with a slightly curious expression.

"What about falling asleep on him? What does that mean, Nee-chan?" Elfman asked, blushing furiously, acting a bit protective over his sister. "Oh…that was an accident..." Mirajane blushed a little, remembering the embarrassing incident.

"Hmph. Well, that's too bad." Evergreen breathed out and leaned back in her chair with a smug smile.

"Hmm? Why's that? Mirajane asked. Evergreen thought for a moment. She wanted to say _because he seems to be head over heels for you_, but couldn't bring herself to bring Laxus that much humiliation. "…I thought you two would make a cute couple." Evergreen said smirking.

"…Laxus is man enough…" Elfman replied. "Is it really for you to decide who Mira-nee ends up with, Elf-niichan? "Lisanna stated, pointing a finger at her brother.

"Ah…okay, that's enough you two." Mirajane said, trying to calm her siblings down. "The only one that can dictate my love life is me...and as of now…that's…" Mirajane looked down with a sad expression, to which Evergreen raised a curious brow at.

"…What are you guys doing?" Laxus grunted, suddenly standing behind Mirajane. Mirajane nearly jumped out of her seat, as she turned around to meet his gaze. Surprisingly, Laxus wasn't in his usual casual attire today. Instead he was an all-black tuxedo, with a light violet under shirt, and, to Mirajane's amusement, a red rose in the blazer pocket.

"Ah…Laxus. You're finally here" Mirajane smiled. However, Laxus just grunted in response, but looked into her eyes for a moment. "Mm" was all he mustered, as Mirajane looked on, smiling in confusion.

Laxus then turned around to look at the others at the table. "…What are you guys looking at me like that for?" He asked, glaring uncomfortably at them.

Evergreen had a sly expression as if she could tell something was going on, while Bixlow, Freed, Lisanna, and Elfman looked on expectedly. Suddenly, Lisanna had pushed back her chair, back, gotten out of her seat and bowed slightly in front of Laxus. "Please…please, take good care of her" she bellowed as her face turned red. Bewildered, Laxus took a few steps back. "Wha…?"

"Looks like the Master is finally here" Makarov said as he walked towards Laxus with a proud grin on his face.

"Ah…" Laxus blushed. "Y...you don't have to call me Master, you know. It's kind of annoying."

"Ahaha. You know, Laxus, it's customary that once you become Master, you choose a special person to dance with at your celebratory party. You can even choose from anyone of these beauties here~" Makarov beamed. "Isn't that right, Mira-chan?" He said as he rubbed her head. Mirajane just smiled in response.

"W…what are you talking about?" Laxus asked, his face turning red again.

"Ehe, just kidding. You can choose from anyone you want" Makarov said as he laughed and stuck out his tongue at the young mage.

"That's…not what I meant…wait, are you saying I really have to dance with someone?" Laxus balked.

"…it is now time to let the festivities begin." Makarov said as he walked away. He stopped for a moment to look back at Laxus. "Enjoy your night…young Master. Because tomorrow, you'll have a lot more to deal with than just fun and games" he smirked.

"…Stupid old geezer…" Laxus glared at his grandfather irritated. _Just what does he have planned for me? _

"Hey Laxus…if you were to dance with anyone of us…who would it be?" Evergreen asked suddenly, smirking at the dragon slayer. Laxus turned around and looked at Evergreen seriously. "…I don't dance, and definitely not with you, if that's what you're thinking." He grunted as he turned away from her gaze, annoyed.

"Wha…? As if I'd ever want you to dance with me in the first place!" Evergreen shouted, seemingly even more irritated than Laxus. "As a matter of fact, I already have a dance partner, so even if you wanted to choose me, I can't help you tonight." Evergreen suddenly stood up and grabbed onto Elfman's arm, dragging him towards the dance floor. Elfman in turn blushed furiously.

"Wait…why me?" he asked, flustered, still being dragged by Evergreen. "What do you mean "why me"?" she turned back to look at him. "You should be happy a lady has asked you to dance with her of all people." Evergreen blushed as she looked straight at Elfman, holding onto his hands. "…I'll lead, and you follow."

_Sigh_. Laxus rubbed his temples as he took a seat beside Mirajane.

"Besides..." she said. "We have to figure out some way to get those two alone together." she stared at Freed and Bixlow as she waited for them to get the signal as well.

"….Lisanna…Bixlow….let us go and check out the buffet." Freed said expressionless, staring at Mirajane and Laxus.

"Okay." Bixlow said, following after his friend, while snickering.

"Ah…right." Lisanna beamed. "Mira-nee, you don't mind right?" Lisanna asked her older sister.

"Ah...no, go ahead. There's tons of food to enjoy, right? I did help prepare it after all." Mirajane smiled.

"...I'll bring some back for you two, then." Lisanna smiled at Laxus. "Good luck…" she whispered and waved.

"…Aren't you going with them?" Laxus asked suddenly, and Mirajane turned to look at him. He instead looked straight ahead at nothing in particular with a serious facial expression that Mirajane just couldn't decipher.

"Ah…no. I'm not so hungry right now." Mirajane smiled softly. Laxus turned to look at Mirajane out of the corner of his eye. Mirajane could have sworn, even if only for a brief moment, she saw a hint of pain in his eyes.

"…Mirajane, why are you always so kind to me?" Laxus asked as he looked down at the table.

"Huh?" Mirajane said, confused. "That's…" _What kind of question is that?_ She thought. "…because we're nakama, right….why wouldn't I be?"

"Ah…so that's it, huh." Laxus said, surprisingly a bit coldly. "…Laxus….is something wrong?" Mirajane looked at him with a worried expression. She had never seen Laxus look so down on himself. "Ever…ever since you came here today, you've been acting…well, a little different."

Laxus looked up in surprise. "What…what do you mean?" he asked her.

"Well…you seem a little down. Did something happen?" Mirajane asked.

"Look…if you're thinking about earlier today…that…it didn't mean anything…" Laxus said looking at her with a serious expression, almost one that seemed to be holding back something.

"Ah…okay…" Mirajane was taken aback by his response. "I see…so there's something you can't talk to me about…" Mirajane said sadly. "…when you're ready to talk, I'll be ready to listen." She smiled sweetly at him.

Laxus suddenly felt a pang in his heart, as it started to beat faster. "That…don't do that…" Laxus looked down again.

"…Don't…do what?" Mirajane asked, confused once again.

"Don't…smile at me like that…don't say those kinds of things…" Laxus blushed and then looked up at Mirajane, staring directly into her eyes.

"….or I might end up falling in love with you." Laxus said bluntly. "I…I'm not, but…"

Mirajane's face just turned bright red, as she looked at Laxus, flustered and confused. "Huh…wha…?"

Laxus just smiled tenderly, yet had a slightly regretful expression. Suddenly, he burst out laughing. "You…did you actually think I meant that?" he said as he cackled uncontrollably.

"…huh?" was all Mirajane could say after such an outburst. "I…don't understand…"

"I'm sorry…" Laxus wiped his eyes. "I lied." He said, not looking at her directly.

Mirajane just looked at him with a hurt expression, not knowing how to respond to the situation.

Suddenly, she got up from her chair. "E-excuse me for a moment." and headed towards the entrance of the guild.

Laxus was left all alone at the table, sinking in his own guilt and shame, and felt as if someone had just punched him in the gut. Which to him was ironic, considering the way he acted towards Mirajane just now may have hurt her more than anything. _Idiot_, he thought to himself. _I'm…such an idiot_.

"What just happened with you two?!" Evergreen said as she rushed towards Laxus with a worried expression. "Why did Mirajane just walk out of the guild with such a sad expression?" Evergreen pried further. She waited for a response from him, but he didn't budge. "Laxus, answer me!"

"What did you do to hurt Mira-nee, Laxus?" Lisanna said as she suddenly appeared beside Evergreen.

"…Nothing." He finally said. "I was just joking with her…and she walked out." Laxus said emotionless.

"It didn't look as if it were funny to Mira-nee…" Lisanna said concerned.

"Why don't you just ask her what happened yourself? I'm out." Laxus got out of his seat and started to walk passed his friends, when he felt someone stop him.

"Laxus…if you ever did something to hurt Mira-Nee …I'll kill you." Elfman said with a dead serious expression.

"Elf-niichan!" Lisanna yelped in shock.

"No…that's alright. I wouldn't expect anything less. I…probably…no, I definitely do deserve it." With that, Laxus walked out of the guild, leaving his own celebratory party.

* * *

_End of Chapter._

_Sorry this chapter took so long guys! Been working really hard just to make it perfect...well, as perfect as it can be, I guess. Hmm, so many things are happening in this chapter. It seems as if Laxus hurt Mirajane pretty bad. I wonder if there's anything he can do to make it up…or will he just keep on hiding what he truly feels. Well, only next chapter will tell. Hope you guys enjoyed this one :)_


	6. Dance With Me, Part 2

**Author's Note: **This is the first Mirajane/Laxus (Miraxus) fanfic I've ever written. As Miraxus is one of my favourite pairings of Fairy Tail, I really don't think there are enough fanfics around, so I decided to write one, and will probably write more in the future, if all goes well. Hope you enjoy this one.

**Summary**: After Makarov retires, Laxus becomes the new Master of Fairy Tail. Mirajane is there to help him cope. Who would have thought he had a fascination for flowers?

* * *

**Fairy Tail Garden**

**Chapter 6:**

_**Dance With Me Part 2**_

* * *

_Somehow whenever I talk to you, I seem to open up a little bit more. _

* * *

"Gajeel…" Levy looked down discontented at her feet as she stood in front of her much more masculine friend in front of her, who, much to Levy's disappointment, had turned his face away from her looking at the crowd of people dancing in the guild instead.

"What is it?" Gajeel turned around to look down at Levy who stared nervously at her feet. He couldn't help but get nervous himself as he started to sweat profusely, fidgeting shyly around the little girl.

"W…would you…like to dance with me?" she said, as she now looked up shyly towards him. Levy had never asked a guy to dance with her before, much less Gajeel. But, decided to take the chance anyway, since Gajeel wasn't bothering to say anything. She closed her eyes tightly shut; awaiting the inevitable rejection she thought she would get from her muscular friend.

"No…" Gajeel replied, looking disapprovingly at Levy. Levy nearly cried out. "W…what?" she exclaimed.

"No…I meant…" Gajeel turned his eyes shyly away from her again. "I…can't dance." He blushed.

Levy looked at Gajeel wide-eyed for a moment, speechless. Then she blushed furiously as well.

"Oh….why didn't you just say so?" Levy laughed. Gajeel blushed more. "Sh…shut it." He growled.

"I…I can show you, if you want." Levy stuttered, but looked up at Gajeel confidently. After finally revealing the truth, she felt she had more of a chance to get through to him, even if he wasn't willing.

"Huh?" Gajeel replied, but was already being dragged to the dance floor by Levy. She held onto his arm softly, and then turned to face him, but when she looked up and noticed the height difference between them, she blushed again. Gajeel just stared down awkwardly at her.

"See? I told you it was impossible." He said. Just then, Levy entwined her hands with his, and started to move to the music.

"See? You just move to it like that." Levy said casually, as if trying to prove Gajeel's earlier statement wrong. "Now, follow my lead, and once you get the hang of it, you can do the rest."

"O...okay" Gajeel moved backwards and forwards awkwardly to the music, trying to follow Levy's movements. To Levy's surprise, he had picked it up very quickly, and soon was able to move on his own.

Without consciously knowing, Levy had laid her hands and head on his chest while they continued to move to the music. She closed her eyes slowly, listening to his heartbeat. Gajeel blinked and looked down at her. "What are you doing?"

"Oh…" Levy opened her eyes, only to realize she was so close to Gajeel. She blushed and raised her head a little, looking at the ground. "S…sorry…" she said, embarrassed.

Just then, she found her head back on Gajeel, resting firmly against his chest. His arms wrapped around her softly, and he held her in a tight and warm embrace. "…I never said I didn't like it" he whispered softly.

"G…Gajeel…" Levy blushed fervently as she buried her face in his chest.

xoxox

After chatting with Mirajane about asking Natsu to the dance party, Lucy had some time to think about her feelings towards Natsu and what their relationship really meant. She had considered once before the possibility of Natsu having feelings for her and what a relationship with him would be like, but even then when she had confronted him about it, it was far from what she had imagined.

Now, thinking about how much Natsu has done and how much he meant to her, they have come a long way. He had invited her into Fairy Tail, gave her a place to call home, and had become her closest friend in the guild. Even though he had his moments where he would prank or tease her, or sneak inside of her house, she really did have a strong bond with him that she didn't anyone else.

He was always there for her, always protected her and gave her encouraging words. He understood her in ways no one else did. With that, Lucy had finally come to the conclusion that she definitely has feelings for Natsu. When or how these feelings came about, she didn't know or understand, but she knew that she couldn't imagine life without Natsu. The only problem was she didn't know if he would feel the same way.

"I'm sorry." Natsu said as he looked at the Celestial mage in front of him. They were standing outside of the guild's front entrance. Natsu had followed Lucy outside only a few minutes earlier after she said she needed to get some fresh air. When he had found her, she was staring up at the stars. Her eyes seemed to twinkles a little as she admired their beauty. She turned around to look at him.

"What…are you saying sorry for?" she questioned, as her eyes showed a surprised expression.

Natsu just blinked at her, then looked down sadly. "Whatever it is I did…to make you mad at me" And he couldn't meet her eyes.

Lucy looked at Natsu for a moment, and then smiled at him tenderly. "Natsu…you don't need to apologize. I…I've been avoiding you all night, and that was selfish of me. I'm sorry." Lucy felt guilty for hiding her feelings from Natsu, but she just couldn't bring herself up to say what she truly felt. _Besides, I just know he doesn't feel the same way, right?_

"But...why?" Natsu asked taking a step towards her, and Lucy stepped back slightly, trying to keep her distance. "Lucy…" Natsu gave her a stern expression and took another step forward.

Lucy blushed a bit. "I…there's something I wanted to ask you." She said as she looked away from his gaze. "What is it?" Natsu asked, taking another step forward.

"I…" Lucy looked at Natsu with a stern expression. She tried to wait for the perfect opportunity to tell Natsu how she felt, but for some reason, couldn't bring herself up to say it. She gulped as Natsu took another step forward. Lucy tried to move back a bit until she tripped on her heel. She was just about to fall when she felt two hands hold onto her and pull her into an embrace.

"Are you okay?" Natsu said as he looked down at her. Lucy looked back up at him and suddenly felt her body stiffen. Natsu was looking at her with the most concerned expression she had ever seen him have. She couldn't help but blush. "Lucy?" Natsu repeated.

"Natsu…I...would…would you like to dance with me?" she asked shyly. Natsu, still staring down at her, didn't know what to say. Instead, he gave her a big grin. "Ah, so that was it." Natsu exclaimed, cackling happily to himself.

"Huh?" Lucy gave Natsu a perplexed expression as he let her go.

"That's a relief." Natsu breathed out and gave her a small smile.

Lucy just blinked at Natsu. "….What are you talking about?"

"So…you don't know how to dance. Why didn't you just say something?" Natsu laughed.

"W-WHAT?!" Lucy shrieked. "Th…that's not what I was going to say at all." She yelled and flailed her hands in fists in front of Natsu, trying to hit him on his chest; however Natsu just took a hold of both her hands and stared at her in disbelief. "Oh? I don't believe you." He said, trying to stop her from moving forward to hit him.

Lucy gritted her teeth in frustration as she blushed furiously. "Well, it's not! I just wanted to dance with you. Is that a problem?"

Natsu smiled. "Lucy." Lucy stopped moving her hands and looked up at Natsu. He had a soft grin on his face. "Let's dance." He pulled her gently towards the front entrance once again, and Lucy just looked at him flustered. "Natsu…?"

"You said you wanted to dance didn't you? It's okay, I don't mind." Natsu said, as he turned back to Lucy with a serious expression.

"Ah…yea, okay." Lucy blushed again. She decided that there would always be a time to tell Natsu how she really felt, but for now, she'd settle for enjoying this night with him as friends. As long as she could be close to him.

xoxox

Mirajane walked along the path of Fairy Tail garden, looking up at the stars in silence. Her eyes started to water a little as she remembered Laxus and his exact words to her: _I lied…_

Mirajane had never been in love before, so she didn't understand how something like that would feel. Even though she always played matchmaker with her friends, such as Lucy and Natsu, she could only wonder from watching others like Visca and Alzack what it could possibly be like to truly fall in love with someone, who you really care about more than anyone else and who, in return cared more about you too; which made the idea of how Laxus could possibly fall in love with her all the more confusing. What was most confusing, however, is not that he said he loved her, but the fact that he lied about it, and she didn't quite understand why. It didn't sound like something Laxus would do, not the Laxus she knew.

She wondered, if he didn't really love her, why Laxus would have to lie to her about it. Was he trying to hurt her? Though, why did she care so much about it? It's not as if she was in love with him…but…something must have been wrong. She could tell by the expression on his face just before he said those words…

Mirajane sighed again. _No, no one, not even someone like Laxus, could possibly love a person like me. _All the boys she knew had either tried to hit on her just for her looks or just wanted to date her in order to brag about it to their friends that they were dating Fairy Tail's sexy "pin-up" doll. No one she knew actually cared about the person she was, or for her beauty on the inside, all they cared about was her good looks, and so because of that, Mirajane had never allowed herself to open up to anyone fully and honestly. Well, all except for…

"No…Laxus and I are just friends, I couldn't…he couldn't possibly…" Mirajane's voice trailed off as she heard footsteps stop behind her. She stopped and turned around to see Laxus, just starting at her tenderly with his mouth slightly open, as if about to say something, but stopped. It was almost as if he was in deep concentration about something. Mirajane just started heartily right back.

"…Mira…" he managed to muster and scratched the back of his head. "I…thought you'd be home by now." He looked down, guiltily.

Mirajane looked on at him and then smiled a little. "…I always come here when I need to think over things…or when I'm feeling a little down…" she tried to keep on an "I'm okay" face, but was finding it hard to keep the conversation they had only previously out of her mind.

"..I see. You seem to come here a lot, though..." Laxus smiled sadly at her without thinking. "Ah...wait… that's not what I meant. I mean, you must do other things too-"

"It's okay." Mirajane smiled back and laughed. "I understand."

"…Sorry…" Laxus scratched the back of his head again. "I mean…I didn't mean to say those things to you…you know."

"Ah, no…no, it's okay." Mirajane waved her hands in front of her in opposition. "You…you probably had a lot of things on your mind when you said that. I mean…you didn't really mean it…right?" Mirajane said sadly, and she wondered why her voice came out as if she was disappointed. I mean, she was sad because he lied, but only because he was being really inconsiderate to how she felt. She still didn't understand why he lied about it though.

Laxus looked at her and cleared his throat. "No. I mean, I couldn't have." He said confidently.

Mirajane looked at him. "Why's that?" she questioned, shocked. She knew it. As kind, calm and understanding as Laxus was, he was just like all the other boys when it came to love. _Typical_, she thought.

"…because…" Laxus said, staring at her with a determined look in his eyes. "I promised myself I wouldn't fall in love with anyone, for as long as I lived, and that…no one should fall in love with me."

Mirajane just stared at him blankly, not believing what she was hearing. _What?_

"…but, why?"Mirajane looked at him had never heard anyone promise not to fall in love before, much less not feel alright if someone else were to fall in love with them. What Laxus didn't want, she only dreamed of.

"…No reason, in particular. You probably wouldn't understand" Laxus said bitterly as he looked away from her.

"…I would be willing to try, if you'd let me…" Mirajane began, but stopped. "But then…why is it you said you were in love with me, and if you weren't, why did you lie?"

"I was confused." Laxus replied quickly. In truth, Laxus was conflicted – between what he really felt about Mirajane and what he had decided to feel about love a long time ago. He didn't yet want to come to terms with how he truly felt, because he wasn't ready to face those feelings. Yet, even if he did, he would deny those very feelings with every fiber in his body until they no longer existed in him anymore.

"I see…so you're not confused anymore? About your feelings I mean…" Mirajane said, looking down at the ground.

"What, you don't want me to be in love with you, do you?" Laxus said jokingly, trying to ease the tension. "Unless you're also…"

"It…it's not that..." Mirajane retorted. "It's just…I was confused too…why you said it, I mean. Actually, I'm still a bit confused but…it's quite sad, what you said…about not allowing yourself to be in love. I think falling in love is the most wonderful that can happen to you" Mirajane said.

"Have you ever been in love?" Laxus asked plainly.

"...no…" Mirajane said, resentfully.

"Then how would you know?" Laxus asked, curiously.

"…because love, no matter what kind, is a wonderful thing. You have friends that love you, don't you? Whether it's many friends or just that one special person you can always find happiness close to your heart. Whenever you have your friends, family, or people you love around you, I think, you've found your true home…isn't that what Fairy Tail is about?" Mirajane smiled sweetly.

"…I never thought of it that way…I guess…I forgot..." Laxus said thoughtfully, looking up at the sky solemnly.

"Never forget the people that love you, Laxus." Mirajane smiled merrily at him. Then, Laxus looked back down at her, and unknowingly, smiled at her too.

"Yeah…" he said.

Mirajane beamed. "You may not allow yourself to fall in love Laxus, but I know you truly love the guild, and the guild really loves you too! You just have to learn to forgive yourself."

Laxus just sighed reluctantly at Mirajane. She was right, as always it seems. Although he had told himself many times that he didn't believe anyone in the guild would forgive him for what he had done, and he hadn't yet forgiven himself for his own personal issues, the truth is he really did care a lot about them. He would do anything to protect the guild and his friends, no matter what the cost. Now, with the responsibility as the new Master, he wasn't going to let anything harm the guild or the people he had come to call his precious friends. Even if he wasn't ready to fall in love, even if he still believed he didn't deserve to be forgiven or loved, he still had many other people he did love, and for now, he could live with that. He would have to, if it meant protecting the guild.

Soon, soft, slow music could be heard playing inside of the guild.

"So…are we okay again?" Laxus asked cautiously.

'Ah…were we ever not okay?" Mirajane said casually, holding a finger to her mouth. Laxus just smiled. "I'll take that as a yes." and held out his hand for her to hold.

Mirajane just looked down at his hand then back up at him. "What is it...?"

"Well…Master…I mean, the old man did say it was customary to choose a "special person" to dance with at my celebratory party…so I thought why not with you." said Laxus.

"Eh…really? But I'm not sure you really want me to…" Mirajane said, slightly taken back by his comment.

"Why, we are friends, aren't we?" Laxus feigned a small pout.

"…Oh" Mirajane blushed. "Of course" She smiled. She placed her hand in Laxus', and he intertwined his with hers. He put the other around her waist, while Mirajane's other hand rested on his shoulder.

"Not bad." Mirajane stated, as Laxus spun her around outwards and back to him again.

"Ah, that's nothing. I've learned a little thing or two from my mom, that's all." Laxus said, not able to hide the smug smile on his face.

Mirajane smiled. "I see. So your mom was good at dancing?"

"Good? She was the best" Laxus smiled. "I remember when I was younger…every year on my birthday, my mother used to let me stand on her feet and so she could teach me how to dance. My pops was never around as much…since he always had to go on missions. My mother said that whenever I felt sad when pops wasn't around for my birthday, I could dance together with her, and that would be our special tradition, just for us..." Laxus paused for a second. "That was one of the fondest memories I have of my mom…" he smiled, and Mirajane smiled too. "That's beautiful…"

"I guess…" Laxus replied, looking away regretfully.

Just then, crashing and an explosion were heard from inside the guild.

"Natsuuuuuuuu~" they heard someone yell.

"Lucy?" Mirajane said.

"…Guess I better go check out what happened in there." Laxus said, letting go of Mirajane.

"I'll come with you." Mirajane stated, following right behind him as they ran towards the guild.

* * *

_End of chapter._

_I'm really sorry this took so long, guys. don't worry, I haven't given up on this story! I've just been having short phases of writer's block, lately 3: But that's all cured now, I hope. It may not come as quick as expected, but do expect me to keep updating this fanfic. I quite enjoy writing it, and I really do hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm kind of happy with it and the little Miraxus development. :3_

_Also, thank you all for your lovely reviews! They really mean a lot and help motivate and encourage continuing on with this story. *hopes someone is still reading xD*_


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